THE HOMETOWN HERO’S MISSION For days, burn unit nurse Marly Haskins has noticed a handsome firefighter sitting vigil at patients’ bedsides. Chief Drake St. John’s concern touches the single mother deeply. But despite the warmth in Drake’s cobalt-blue eyes, tall, strong, powerful men only remind Marly of the abusive ex-husband on her trail…and the dreams she’s long since given up on. With his own harrowing past, Drake recognizes that Marly is running scared. His life and career are about saving others from harm, but there’s something about Marly that makes his protective instincts more…personal. Helping Marly and her daughter feel safe in Stonerock is his new mission—one that might heal his own burned heart.